Thank you NetGalley, Breea Keenan, and Headline for letting me get a sneak peek at this super fun read! If you are a fan of romantic comedies, re-finding yourself, moving countries, and... hot single dads, this book is for you! This book follows Becca as she faces a massive life change with the loss of her best friend (as well as finding out a pretty large secret her best friend kept from her). Feeling lost, she takes a leave of absence from her teaching job and decides to move in with her writing pen pal in Ireland to have a writer's summer to finish their book. Just like the title of the book, there is plot twist after plot twist. I really adored this read! It was super fun, well-paced, and always kept me wanting to read more. Mark your calendars for March 28th! You do not want to miss this read!
Spoilers Ahead (Read this part after you have finished the book!)
Did you finish the book? Did you love it? Let's chat about it! Here are some of my favorite plot twists throughout this book and my thoughts on them!
Plot Twist 1- Becca's best friend passing away. This book had a quick start. One second she is texting her friend who was coming to visit, and the next she is getting a phone call that her friend has died. Becca's grief was so sad and felt so real. The emotions of it not feeling real while feeling alone is exactly what grief feels like. I cannot imagine losing my lifelong best friend. And to feel guilty that she died on her way to see Becca makes the beginning of the book even more sad!
Plot Twist 2- Becca's best friend was dating/living/getting engaged to Becca's estranged ex! When I say that I gasped and then immediately had to finish the chapter, I am not exaggerating! To lose your best friend is one thing, but to lose your best friend and find out that she had been keeping a major secret like being in love with your ex is a completely different thing! When it rains, it pours. And poor Becca was in a storm during the first few chapters of this book. I keep trying to justify her best friends reasoning to lie about such a big event, but I really can't. If you are going to fall in love with your best friends ex, you should at least have the courage to be honest about it. Especially when they did not end on the best of terms. And then to have her ex-boyfriend show up at her best friend's funeral was a gut punch. Becca handled it better than most people I know.
Plot Twist 3- Becca taking a leave of absence and leaving for Ireland (to meet up with a friend she has never met!). We have all been there, heck I even talked about this with my husband last week. Running away from your job and problems to a better and easier place. In reality, we aren't all this lucky. That is why we have reading, to take us places we cannot go in the moment. I envy Becca in a way, because she was able to leave the worries of her life behind and travel to beautiful Ireland. I also really enjoyed how Becca did not ask for permission from her boss, and instead told her boss this was how it was going to be. She is a brave woman.
Plot Twist 4- Riley is a man! Becca's female writer pen-pal Riley is not a woman, but a very attractive man. My cheeks were red with embarrassment as I read this chapter. As soon as the man came out of the cottage with the little girl, I knew that was Riley! What a fun plot twist! This play of gender-neutral names was great and Becca's reaction was even better. This chapter was written so beautifully. You could feel the awkwardness of miscommunication. You could feel the embarrassment as Becca realizes she has shared way too many female thoughts with Riley. And then you could feel the romantic tension begin between Riley and Becca.
Plot Twist 5- Riley's Ex Returns. As soon as Riley's daughter told Becca that she had seen her mom, I knew trouble was going to begin. I felt as though Becca should have told Riley what his daughter had said. Even if she thought it was her imagination, it was something that Riley should have known. After a wonderful afternoon together (Riley and Becca finally being together!), Riley gets a phone call that his daughter has gone missing. That is when he finds his daughter and ex at his cottage. I felt so bad for Riley. He wants so badly to be the best father, all while dealing with an addict ex who just causes chaos.
Plot Twist 6- Becca's Ex Returns. If I say I hate a character, it takes a lot for me to hate them. But Becca's ex, has checked all the ick boxes for me. To show up at her best friends funeral and confess to a long hidden secret was terrible. To show up in Ireland wanting to get back together was just plain gross. How could you say you were madly in love with one person, and then as soon as they die run back to your ex? It was just gross and made me really hate his character. I think Becca handled it very well, but it made me feel like this dude was just creepy and lonely.
Plot Twist 8- Riley and Becca end up together after all! After Riley shows up in Scotland, then leaves during the night, and then finally confesses his love for her again was quite the ending to the book. Riley and Becca ending up together was a great way to end the book. It was quite sweet and wrapped up the story well. As frustrating as it was that Riley leaves Becca in the middle of the night, it was sweet that he owned up to his mistake and admitted he was just scared.
Thank you so much for reading my review and listening to my thoughts! I hope you enjoyed the book as much as I did. Please comment on other books I should read and review!
Sincerely,
Amy
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